Rain And Thunder
by FirstLove15
Summary: My continuation from episode 2 season three. Delena ofcourse. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

It was hard to tell that just the day before I had been climbing the Tennessee mountain sides with Alaric and Damon. It was now a lazy day, gray and drizzling outside. I sunk down in a chair in the living room with the intentions on reading a book. I needed to find something else to concentrate on. All the thoughts crashing around in my mind had lately began to ware on me. The sleep I didn't get the night before had me feeling drained and weary. I wrapped the smooth cream colored blanket around me and opened up an old creaky copy of Wuthering Heights. After several pages I realized I had no idea what I had just read. I couldn't stop thinking about Stefan. It took our little adventure yesterday to make the reality of what was happening really sink in. Stefan...my Stefan was out there. Killing. I thought about the gentleness of Stefan, his soft kind words, his heart and compassion for the living. Now he was destroying life without hesitation.

I put the book in my lap and laid my head back, closing my eyes. Then I thought about just last night. I still felt the tingle on my face from Damons hands. It was the fact that I couldn't seem to shake the memory of how he touched or what he said that made me almost angry. I wondered what he thought was going to happen. He knows I love Stefan. I'll never love again like I love him. The house rattled with a low rumble of thunder in the distance. I looked out at the window and watched the silvery drops of rain fall. I couldn't help but to look at the rainstorm as a perfect comparison to Damon and Stefan. Stefan was the rain. It fell quietly and softly giving a sense of tranquility. Always washing away the surfaces of the world leaving it new and beautiful. The low rumble of thunder returned and thats when I thought about Damon. Damon was the thunder. Thunder feels powerful, dangerous. It makes you feel excited and alive. It fills you with an energy and a rush you would love to possess forever. No doubt thunder can even cause the earth to tremble under your very feet.

There was a sudden knock at the door and I dropped the book from my lap. Bonnie stood there smiling, her eyes lit up with excitement. I had never been so happy to see her.

"Oh my god, Bonnie!" I lunged into a hug. "You're home early!"

"I missed you!" She chimed.

We walked inside and she took a hurried seat at the island in the kitchen and took an apple out of the fruit basket.

I leaned over the counter in front of her as she told me about her time away. Then she seemed to suddenly stop talking and her face fell.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Listen to me sitting here talking about all this. How are you doing Elena? I mean...with Stefan and all." She asked.

I shrugged. "I'm trying to get by. It's not easy."

"Jeremy told me what's been going on. Elena don't you ever put yourself in danger like that again. You could have been killed." She said, her tone was serious as well as her eyes that grew dark with anger.

"Wouldn't you do the same thing for Jeremy?" I asked.

She opened her mouth to speak after a small hesitation when the door opened and Jeremy appeared in the doorway.

"Bonnie!" Jeremy's eyes widened with surprise.

She jumped off the stool and ran into Jeremy's arms. I was happy for them both but the affection twisted my heart a little.

After a while Bonnie I decided to give Jeremy his time with Bonnie so I got dressed and headed out into the dying storm.

I made my way to Damon's. Once I got there I walked in and took my sweater off and hung it on the coat rack.

"Damon?" I called. I heard a small roll of thunder outside. A small reminder. Damon was like thunder.

There was no answer so I headed upstairs. It wasn't long before I found him, standing quiet and still in front of all the collected papers he had on Stefan. I walked up beside him.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He took a deep breath and looked at me, his blue eyes looking like jewels in the gray light coming through the window.

"Trying to figure out a rescue plan. I'm not really the rescue type so I'm finding that it's a bit of a challenge." He said looking back at the papers.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. I mean look at it this way. When you want something you always figure out a way to get it so since you want to get Stefan back then it should be easy." I explained not sure about my own opinion but hoping I was right.

"That's inspiring." He said lifting his brow.

I shrugged.

The sound of the rain grew louder and thunder crashed in the sky.

Damon's cell rang. He walked away talking and I took his place in front of the all the papers. I looked at all of them. Painfully reading over the horror that Stefan had caused. I couldn't help but see a flash of his murderous actions in my mind and I flinched away from the thought.

"Elena. I'm meeting up with Alaric. He said he might have a few ideas to get Stefan back. Want to come with?"

I realized that between the pouring rain outside and the fact that I had been trying my best all day just to get things off my mind that I didn't want to sit with the guys and hash over the plan. I just needed a break. I wanted nothing more than for Stefan to be home but I was beginning to question my sanity.

"Actually, I think I'll just get back home. Cook something maybe. I just need a break today." I explained.

"Don't go out in this." He hooked his thumb towards the window. "Just stay here. I've got plenty of food in the kitchen."

"Really?" I asked confused.

"Yeah. Cause of Andie." He shrugged.

_Oh yeah. His girlfriend that my boyfriend recently murdered. _I thought to myself.

A couple of hours later I stood in the kitchen almost in tears after burning a piece of chicken to a crisp. I turned off the stove and and opened the oven hoping the bread was still fine. I was met with a wall of smoke. My head was too cluttered. I was so far gone I couldn't even cook. I waved away the smoke and slammed the oven shut. I picked up the glass of wine I had sitting on the counter and in a sudden flash of true anger and I threw the glass at the charred chicken and watched as it busted into little slivers.

"Elena?" I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned in surprise. Damon's eyes looked worried as he looked at me.

"I messed up the food." I said, my voice cracking with on coming tears.

He smiled kindly and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Well Elena, I would say you went wrong with adding broken glass. They hardly ever call for that ingredient." Damon smiled. I I felt a laugh break through my lips even though I felt tears in my eyes.

"Somethings wrong with me Damon. I can't concentrate, my head is a mess. I can't read a book, or sleep or even cook without almost burning the house down."

Damon nodded and shook his dark jacket off , hanging it on the back of the kitchen chair. I noticed the brilliant turquoise shirt he wore matched his eyes perfectly. He moved the pan and all the glass and took out a new pan.

"Elena. Consider the fact that you have gone through at least eighty life altering situations in the last few years." He said opening the fridge and pulling out new stuff. "Then consider that your in fact going through the eighty first life altering situation. It's a complete wonder that you aren't completely crazy at this point." I watched him busy himself as he poured a little olive oil in the new pan and lay a new piece of chicken in to cook.

I sat down and watched him move around the kitchen like he was used to doing it everyday.

"I feel like that's exactly what's happening." I said.

He tossed in the fresh veggies and looked over his shoulder at me. "No Elena. You've been injured and kidnapped and almost killed but the one thing that won't ever break is your mind. You're extraordinarily resilient. You always have been. It's one of the things I love about you." He explained casually as he returned his attention back to the stove.

I felt my heart skip a beat when he said love.

Things fell silent as I listened to the smooth machinery of him working around the kitchen. It wasn't a bad silence, it was comfortable. Then he sat a plate down in front of me. Chicken with roasted red pepper and a sauteed assortment of veggies and fluffy Alfredo pasta.

"Damon, this looks amazing. I didn't realize you were such a cook." I smiled. He sat down across from me with a glass of wine.

"I've been a around for a while." He grinned.

I dug my fork into one of the roasted red peppers. It was perfect.

"These are amazing." I said pointing down at him. He reached over and took one off my plate and took a bite.

"Not bad." he grinned.

"It's so weird to see you eat food." I said digging into the pasta.

"It's not like you haven't seen me eat. Remember our Atlanta trip? We put away an entire plate of fries." He said.

"Oh my god I remember that." I laughed. I finally felt myself relax and it felt so good to be able to focus on something else. It felt so good to smile and mean it. Damon sipped on his wine as I ate.

"You know, my mom was only able to teach me one thing to cook before she died."

"And what was that?" Damon asked.

"Apple pie." I smiled. "I didn't do so bad if I say so myself. The first one I made. Jeremy ate most of it." I laughed along with Damon.

He leaned closer to me. "You'll have to make me one. I'd love to try it."

I felt the thunder. My heart began to race.

I had to change the subject.

"So, do you really think we are going to get Stefan back?" I asked.

Damon's eyes lost their sparkle in an instant.

"I believe so." He said leaning back and finishing off his glass of wine.

"Did Alaric have any good suggestions?"

"Yeah, but his number one rule is that you are not going to be involved in any of it." Damon smiled darkly.

"What do you mean? Of course I'll be involved!" I said

"No Elena, it's too dangerous. Just let us do this and stay out of it for once." Damon said sounding more angry.

I pushed my chair back and stood up. "No, you know I won't put up with this!"

In a blur, Damon was suddenly standing in front of me, his eyes angry and piercing.

"You will put up this Elena. I told you I would get him back. Not we. You just stay here. Safe. I'll deliver him straight to your doorstep." He hissed.

His face was inches from mine. His eyes held, so did mine. My body went weak. His eyes relaxed from anger to weakness. Weakness for me. He reached up, his fingers once again leaving a trail of tingling across my cheek. My heart hammered and my face burned. I turned away with every ounce of strength I had and walked out into the rain.

**WILL WRITE FOR REVIEWS haha. Leave em peeps. :) More to come. **


	2. Chapter 2

I walked through the door soaked from head to toe. The rainstorm had worsened the minute I'd walked out of the boarding house. On my way upstairs I ran into Rick coming down.

"Um. You okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I answered, embarrassed as I proceeded to my room.

**JEREMY & BONNIE**

Jeremy and Bonnie laid draped across the bed.

"I missed you so much." Bonnie said twisting the bottom of Jeremy's shirt around her finger.

"I missed you too, Bonnie. Like you don't know." He answered.

"Is everything okay Jer? You just seem kind of distant." Bonnie said, worry dancing around her eyes. She wondered if maybe it was a mistake to have left so shortly after what Jeremy had gone through. So early on in a new relationship. But she ached for the pure energy she used to feel directed to her from him before she left.

He smiled down at her and squeezed her shoulders a bit.

"Everything's fine. I'm just so surprised you're here. I'm still just letting it sink in." He said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. But he knew Bonnie knew him better than that and he could see that the trouble in her eyes didn't falter.

He sat up and she sat up along with him.

"Well, I know It was a bit of a surprise but thats what I wanted to do was surprise you." Bonnie laughed.

Jeremy smiled but his face went to horror when suddenly Vicki was standing right behind Bonnie's shoulder.

"What are you doing Jeremy! Help me!" Vicki nearly screamed.

Jeremy jumped, nearly falling off the other side of the bed.

"Jeremy! What is it!" Bonnie asked.

"Jeremy!" Jeremy snapped his head as he heard his name called on the other side of the room. It was Anna. "Don't listen to Vicki, Jeremy. I mean it. Don't trust her!" Anna warned walking towards him.

"I don't know what you want me to do!" Jeremy yelled. He closed his eyes and looked down to the ground tapping his palms to his head.

"Jeremy! Who are you talking to!" Bonnie yelled.

Jeremy looked up at Bonnie's horrified face and noticed they were alone once more.

"I'm so sorry Bonnie. I need to tell you...I've been seeing Vicki and Anna. The whole summer. Ever since you brought me back."

"Why didn't you tell me!" She asked getting off the bed.

"I was hoping I could deal with it. I told Matt."

"Matt? You told ...Matt, but you couldn't tell me?"

"Bonnie I'm so sorry." Jeremy said walking towards her. "Do you think you can help me?"

"I don't know, but right now I'm going home." She said as she turned and walked out of the room.

**ELENA**

A few days went by. Everything was so strange. Things seemed to be strained between Jeremy and Bonnie. Rick stayed barricaded in his room working on leads to track Stefan and and working on a further plan to get him back. It being the summer and no school I found it hard to distract myself from the the overwhelming load of everything that had happened in the last several months. I hadn't heard from Damon since I left the other night. It felt strange but I knew I had no reason to wonder why I hadn't heard from him.

I stood in the kitchen staring into the fridge but forgetting to look for something. I hadn't been hungry, like truly hungry in a long time. There was a knock at the door. It sounded frantic so I shut the door to the fridge and hurried to the front door. As I opened it I saw Tyler and Matt standing there.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" I asked noticing the panic on their face.

"Caroline's missing. Is Alaric here?" Matt asked.

"Alaric!" I called. "What do you mean she's missing?" I asked feeling my stomach sink. What else more could I possibly take?

"I'll explain in a minute." Tyler said as he came in with Matt.

Rick came down stairs, reading Matt and Tylers face as quickly as I did.

"What's going on?" Rick asked looking worried.

"My mom knows about me and she knows about Caroline. She put Caroline in the hands of someone else but shes changed her mind and now she doesn't know where Caroline is." Tyler explained in a rush.

"Dammit." Alaric grumbled pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Alright, let me call Damon." He said.

My stomach flipped with his name being said. We settled in the living room and not long after that Damon came strolling in. He looked unusually tired. A look I wasn't accustomed to seeing on his immortal face.

"Okay, so I gather Caroline is in trouble...yet again...so...what has Blondie gotten into this time." Damon asked.

Tyler explained in full detail everything that had happened as Damon crossed his arms and tapped his foot in what seemed like controlled annoyance. The thing I couldn't get over was how he managed to not say a word to me. How me managed to avoid eye contact with me. I felt invisible and it made me feel unbelievably vulnerable for some reason. I realized I had missed him and it had become strange not to have him around and especially not have him talking to me.

Damon nodded quietly for a minute after Tyler told us everything.

"Okay, it's heartwarming that your mom knows you're a werewolf. Really, it is. I had a tear in my eye...I'm just not sure where it went." Damon said looking around for his alleged tear. Tyler rolled his eyes and Rick sighed. "But we all know that's going to cause even further problems down the road so...before that can begin to happen let's see if we can't mark some of the growing list of problems off before that begins because quite frankly, I'm ready to pack and move to Hawaii. Now...before I start sipping out of my half sliced coconuts I suggest that you lay low. I know it's hard to deal because Carolines missing blah blah blah I get it. But just because we all walk in like a mob group into your moms house doesnt mean we are going to get any answers and we dont even have a lead. So...go home, watch your mom. See if she knows a little more than you think she does. Watch for anything strange going on and as soon as you have a lead. Let me know. I'll see if I can fit it in to my already disturbingly busy schedule. Now...if you will excuse me...I'm trying to track down my serial draining brother." Damon took a deep breath, rolled his eyes and left without another word. Everyone just kind of sat there looking at each other. Alaric shrugged.

"I have to say I agree with him. We have to have a lead before we can do anything. And given the situation, some crazy search party will probably do more damage than good." He explained.

Tyler looked angry and his bitter cold face flared as he stood up and faced Alaric.

"Fair enough. But I just hope you and Damon's obsession with getting Stefan back doesn't get Caroline killed. At least you better hope it doesn't." Tyler stared him down for a second and then left with Matt in tow.

I walked upstairs feeling my head swim. Everything that was going had caused me to shut down. I didn't even realize that one of my closest friends was missing. Then I couldn't help but to think about how cold Damon was. The sound of his voice being so flat and how he didn't even acknowledge that I was alive when he was here. He left without even a nod in my direction. I managed to make it to my room, and lay down before the tears finally fell. But it felt so good. I needed to cry. It finally died down after a little and I wiped them away and laid there in the silence.

"Elena?" I heard his voice suddenly in the quiet room. I jumped up and found Damon standing by the window.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" I sniffled, trying to look strong, like I wasn't buzzing from his energy in the room.

He pulled my sweater out from behind him. "You left this at the house the other night. Figured you wanted it back." He said tossing it to me. I caught it and suddenly felt slightly angry.

"I have three drawers full of cloths in Stefan's room. Why was it necessary to bring this?" I asked holding it up. I didn't know why I was being so mean.

His brows pulled together not expecting my reaction. "You're right Elena. This sweater return definitely calls for an apology. I'm gonna go." He said turning towards the window.

"No Damon wait." I called walking towards him. "I'm sorry. Thank for bringing it." I said.

"It's no problem. I needed it off my coat rack anyway. Lilac doesn't really go with my home interior color scheme." His joke sounded empty. He turned to leave again.

"Damon please." I said again.

"What?" He asked turning around.

"Talk to me please. I mean, we haven't really talked since the other night." I said feeling more dumb by the minute.

Damon sighed seemingly in defeat as he looked to the floor. I walked up to him and he met my eyes. It never failed that the deepest blue of his eyes pulled me in. But his eyes that were usually so sharp and severe but beautiful were loose and open. His eyes were sky blue and there were the faintest shadows playing underneath them.

"Elena. I'm tired. I mean, a kind of tired I've never felt. My head is an absolute mess. Now there is this new thing with Caroline. This whole situation were in with Stefan right now...I've already gone through this with him once before. I was the level headed one. Trying to get by in the world as close to a human as possible. He was gone, he was an animal and I did everything I could do to keep in in control but I couldn't. Luckily Lexi came around and changed things. Managed to tame the wild beast. But...if you remember...I took her out so...now I have to do something I failed at before. And I miss him Elena. I miss him." His voice cracked. His eyes bright, fighting back tears. "And then theres you..." He said quietly. My stomach leaped. "I've always been so sure about everything I do, everything I say...every single move I make. But with you ….I never know what I'm doing. I'm completely lost."

He reached out and touched my hair. My heart skipped. "Damon. You've said little things to me every once and a while. But you were drunk, or you made it out like a flirtatious joke. I never knew how you felt until you were dying. I thought it was because you were dying that you said it. That you said..."

"I love you." Damon finished for me.

I nodded because I couldn't breath.

"Elena trust me." He reached out and touched his fingers to the vervain necklace laying on my color bone. He stared at it with a strange look on his face. I put my hand over his pressing his hand closer to me. I didn't even think about it I just did. "I've told you before. You may have just forgotten." He said strangely.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

There was a knock on the door and Jeremy poked his head in.

"Hey, I'm going to see Bonnie, I'll be back later." Jeremy said. He looked at me for a moment.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I turned to look at Damon but he was already gone.

"Yeah...I'm fine." I said.

Later that night as I laid there trying to go to sleep, I touched my fingers to the necklace thinking about how Damon's touch felt and I couldn't shake the strange look on his face when he did it. What did he mean I may have forgotten? Then...a thought hit me so hard it almost physically shook me from the bed. I remembered the night the necklace had been returned to me. It had just appeared. I never said anything because I thought that maybe I was slipping. Maybe I was just so tired I had forgotten I had picked it up. But now it made sense. Damon …..Damon had brought it back to me. But why did he make me forget? I slung the covers back and got dressed as fast as I could. I ran down the stairs and grabbed my keys.

"Going somewhere?" Rick sat in the kitchen reading over more newspapers.

"Damon's" I answered.

"Half past midnight?" He asked, his eye brow raised.

"yes." I answered simply and then walked out the door.

I didn't even bother knocking. I just walked right in. Papers and news paper clippings were scattered amongst the living room floor. They were the papers that were originally upstairs.

"It's a little past your bed time isn't it?" Damon said appearing in the living room.

"Make me remember." I demanded.

Damon frowned in confusion. "What?"

"If you can compel me to forget, you can compel me to remember." I said.

"Remember what?"

"What I may have forgotten Damon."

He just stood there. A bit of surprise and bit a sadness masked his face but he said nothing.

I walked up to him and looked him right in the eyes.

"Do it." I said again. I reached behind me and took the necklace off, tossing it aside. He nodded and stepped a little closer.

He placed his finger under my chin and looked deeper into my eyes than I had ever seen. My stomach flew, my heart began to race.

"I've only compelled you once. And only once. You will remember everything that was said and everything that you saw that night." he said in a deep melodic tone.

All the sudden the memories came flooding back and I remembered the night he showed up in my room. I remembered him telling me that he was in love with me. But it was because he was in love with me that he wanted me to be happy and that meant leaving me to be with Stefan. He made me forget because it was the unselfish thing to do.

"Elena?" Damon said when he read my expression. He knew I remembered. I fell into the deep blue of his eyes, I felt my throat closing up. I knew what was happening here. I knew why I felt like I was flying. I had to get away. I pushed passed him and out the front door. This time he followed me.

"Elena, please stop leaving like the house caught on fire." He said as he followed me.

"I have to go Damon."

"Why?" He said as he jerked me around to face him. "You asked me to make you remember so I did. I didn't mean any harm to you Elena. I made you forget because..."

"I know Damon." I said as I felt a warm tear run down my face. He studied my face closely. He reached out and wiped it away with his thumb. His lashes casting deep shadows under his eyes. He looked like a painting come to life. His raven beauty took me by surprise.

"You don't have to leave Elena. I know you love Stefan. I know it very well. I'm working day and night trying to figure out how I'm going to get him back but I swear I'll get him back to you. You don't have to worry about me-"

He couldn't finish his sentence because by then I had lost what little control I had left. I watched this beautiful boy stand in front of me and swear to deliver his brother back into my arms when it was the only place he wanted to be. Right in the middle of his sentence I stood on my toes. Touched his face, fell into him and crashed my mouth into his. I felt his lips melding with mine and I suddenly felt weightless. I had grown wings and could fly. He kissed me and I knew he meant it. I felt his hands pressed into my back and I rested my hands just underneath the bottom of his shirt on the warm flat planes on his stomach. I felt like I was melting away.

Then like a jolt of electricity I suddenly was stepping away. My body felt weak. Our breathing was heavy. His eyes were wild with beauty as he looked at me shocked. They shined. I had to do the opposite of what my entire being was telling me. I had to go. I backed up a few steps and Damon took only one step.

"I'm sorry." I said.

"I understand." He whispered. But the pain was apparent. I knew exactly how he felt.

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